'The View' Conservative Co-Host Jedediah Bila Exits Show

The commentator's departure was a surprise, and it's not clear why she's leaving.

Out of the blue, The View co-host Jedediah Bila announced on Monday's show that she's leaving the program she joined last year to serve as a conservative voice. Bila did not give a specific reason for her departure, and a network spokesperson did not provide one either.

"This has been just an amazing journey, and I appreciate all of you," Bila said to her follow co-hosts.

Bila, a former Fox News contributor, mentioned that she's been working "insanely" hard on a book for HarperCollins that comes out next year, suggesting that might have contributed to her decision to leave.

"I have a lot of opportunities to consider now and figure out, piled up to here, and I will be spending a little bit of time doing that," she said. "But you should stay tuned, because there's some good stuff on the way. I just have to map it out a little bit."

A network source said that ABC has a shortlist of potential candidates to replace Bila and serve as a conservative counterpoint, and Meghan McCain, who recently left her contributor role at Fox News, is reportedly in talks to join the show.

"It's important to have conservative voices so I expect that they would fill this seat quickly," the source said. Conservative Candace Cameron left the show in December.

Bila has not discussed her departure on Twitter yet, and she did not respond to an email sent to her personal account.